They accused Damascus-based BBC Arabic Syria correspondent Assaf Aboud of “propaganda” for reporting from the capital and of not being able to report truthfully or impartially under the control of Assad, the New Arab reported.

The BBC has been accused of biased coverage on the Israel-Palestine conflict from both sides of the spectrum. Michael Grade, former chairman of the broadcaster claimed that the BBC “directly misled” viewers on a report about stabbing attacks on Israelis by allegedly failing to show Palestinian groups praising the attacks last year.

On the other side, pro-Palestine groups and the late Labour politician Tony Benn criticized the BBC for violating its principles by refusing to broadcast a humanitarian appeal for Gaza following the late 2008 war.